SC rejects Dogar's objection

ISLAMABAD - A four-member bench, which had reserved the judgement on the objections raised by Justice (Retd) Abdul Hameed Dogars counsel against the bench one day ago, rejected them on Wednesday. Justice Mahmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui who was heading the bench that also comprised Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, Justice Tariq Parvez and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain while addressing Ibrahim Satti, counsel for Justice (Retd) Dogar, announced, The position you have taken has been declined. Justice Shahid Siddiqui then asked him to plead the case. Satti replied as his client was in Lahore to attend the funeral of Justice Javed Iqbals parents, who were murdered Tuesday night, therefore the case should be adjourned till Monday so that he could get instructions from him. Satti, however, stated, Since all of the lordships are also violators of the alleged order of 3rd November, 2007, therefore one set of violators cannot hear the case against the other similar placed persons who are sailing in the same boat. The learned counsel argued that his client is still enjoying the privileges and perks including pension and other benefits meant for a retired chief justice of Pakistan. The case was adjourned till today (Thursday). The proceeding for contempt of court notice against PCO judges initially started on 10th May, 2010 and since then three judges - Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, Justice Raja Fayyaz and Justice Said Mohammad Ali - have rescued themselves from hearing the PCO judges case. The court has been hearing the cases of Justice (Retd) Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice (Retd) Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry, former chief justice of Lahore High Court, and eight sitting judges - Justice Sayed Zahid Hussain, Justice Khurshid Anwar Bhinder, Justice Hamid Ali Shah, Justice Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, Justice Hasnat Ahmed Khan, Justice Syed Shabbar Raza Rizvi, Justice Yasmin Abbasi and Justice Jehan Zaib Rahim. The PCO judges were facing contempt charges for taking oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) in defiance of a restraining order issued by a seven-judge Supreme Court bench on November 3, 2007, moments after the proclamation of emergency by former president Pervez Musharraf.